Issues & Positions

First, may I say a word or two about the Constitution? The Constitution is the document which sets forth the agreement that We, the People, through our respective state gov’ts, have agreed to live by. Our Constitution, and the Declaration of Independence, can be directly traced back to sermons, which at that time were all written out and read to the congregations. Most of the wording actually comes word for word from some sermon. To say that this is NOT a Christian nation is completely false. There were 250 Founders, who left countless letters, books, and other documents that all support the position that this was established as a Christian nation. In fact, for nearly 100 years, starting in 1800 when the Capitol Building was completed, church services were held in the House Chamber every Sunday. Sermons were delivered by either the Chaplain of the Senate or of the House, unless there was a visiting preacher. Services were attended by the President, the Senate, the House, the Supreme Court, and enough members of the public to raise the total number in attendance to 2,000. Several Presidents recorded the sermons and their thoughts on them in their personal diaries, and in letters sent to friends and family. Not a Christian nation? …indeed, we all need to brush up on our history.

P artisan politics is one of the most important reasons I decided to get into this race. Everywhere I go I meet people who are just as tired and frustrated with the behavior of the people we have been electing to represent us in Washington. They place party before all else. Think about this: Every issue, no matter what the topic is, is discussed, debated, communicated, and voted on in terms of “The Republicans…” or “The Democrats…”. I’m saying, let’s have a political discussion about issues based upon the merits of the issue being discussed-without using the terms “Republican or Democrat”. We need to keep in mind that it is these two parties that have put US in the mess this country is in. Let’s also keep in mind that the two parties we have, have dominated the political landscape in Washington for so long, none of us remember having any other choice. I am running to give US another choice, not just for this election, but if Missouri will take the lead and send a Constitution Party Candidate to Washington, the other 49 states will quickly begin doing the same thing. Once people in other states see that it can be done, the Republican/Democrat monopoly, the wall of exclusion, will begin to fall down. Doing what we’ve always done, voting for the lesser of two evils, is still going to deliver US evil, and will ensure more of the same. A popular definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting a different outcome. We cannot continue to do this. This time, voting for a Republican or a Democrat will be throwing your vote away.

We may have secured a small but temporary victory in the withdrawal of Senator Feinstein’s Assault Weapons Ban bill, but she intends to bring it up again as an amendment to other gun control legislation that Senate Majority leader Harry Reid is going forward with. Let’s remember she did have a similar bill passed into law before, which was not effective, and died with a sunset clause. The gun control crowd will keep working to push law abiding citizens into a corner. Every tyrannical government, every dictator, always uses emotions and the argument that they are only doing this to protect us, takes the means of resisting tyranny from the citizens just before taking complete control of the government away from the people. We must remember the words of our Founders “…deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, -That whenever any form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it,…” The Founders were keenly aware of the importance of keeping the means to resist tyranny in the hands of the people, also known as the Militia. They had just fought a war with the superpower of the day, England, and won, with the Militia, everyday folks like you and me, playing a vital roll. Had the king of England and his agents been successful in disarming our ancestors, there would be no United States of America. Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.

I am a grandfather. I have three grandchildren whose debt payback will, according to current analyses, amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars. No other issue we face as a nation is more important to me personally than the federal debt and out of control federal spending. Since 1970 our central government has spent more money than it takes in all but four years. Let me remind you that this has occurred on the watch of the two major parties, regardless of which party controlled the majority of Congress or occupied the White House. These are the folks responsible for the mess our children and grandchildren, which are now being called the “Debt Paying Generation” in some forums, will inherit from us. From one side of the aisle we hear the argument to Tax the Rich. The rich are not stupid, and they always have options. We can only tax the rich up to the point of irritation, then they will use one of their other options, and we will have lost all revenue. The other side of the aisle says Grow the Economy. But they offer few details, and have a tarnished history of favoring big business at the expense of main street businesses, like mine. I didn’t get a bailout.

The Congressional Budget Office estimate of the cost of President Obama’s healthcare overhaul, as of July 2012, is projected to cost $2.6 trillion over a decade, reports, a hefty sum more than the $940 billion estimated when the healthcare legislation was signed into law. ALL new program like this exceed the cost estimates put together at the time Congress passes the legislation. So it’s no surprise with this 2,700 page monstrosity. This Act of Congress, President Obama’s legacy legislation, creates 159 new government agencies. At a time when the federal debt is racing to beat the all time high, and with partisan bickering in Washington resulting in gridlock that enables spending to continue its uncontrolled climb to ever greater heights, we now add on more and more cost, and more and more taxes-all increasing the drag on the economy. Twenty new or increased taxes are included in this Act, among them a tax on Medical Device Manufacturers. That’s real smart, raise taxes on the people who make medical devices, so they charge hospitals and doctors more, who in turn have to charge more, increasing costs. In fact, health insurance premiums are expected to rise 169%. Starting in 2014, anyone not buying “qualifying” health insurance must pay an income surtax according to the Individual Mandate Excise Tax portion of the bill. That includes me, operating my own business. So how is it possible that the central government can force an individual to purchase a good or service from a for profit business? Is this not unconstitutional? Yes, but We, the People, did not force the government to back down in 1942 in the Wickard vs. Filburn case, but that is too big an issue to go into here. Suffice it to say that without the unconstitutional ruling of the Supreme Court in Wickard vs. Filburn, Obamacare and probably ¾ of the central government would not exist.

What To Do?

First, the states have the authority (they created the federal government remember) to nullify unconstitutional Acts of Congress. (See writings on the Sedition Act, and the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions of 1798 by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, respectively.) Second, other cases are winding their way to the Supreme Court. They may be successful, but keep in mind the Supreme Court is a part of the federal government, and has not shown itself to be truly impartial in recent history. Repeal the Act. But this is not likely while the revolving door maintains a monopoly of the political landscape by two major parties. AND-we can elect an unknown citizen from among US, from a small and little known political party, from a small town in Missouri, to strike the first blow and crack the wall the two parties have built and maintained as long as any of US can remember.

Let me begin here by saying legislation I will propose will be aimed at putting limits on the central government, and lifting limits off the citizens and off of their states. I’ve noticed that the typical government solution to most issues is to place limits on law abiding citizens, instead of truly studying the problem and focusing on creative solutions or solutions that may not be “politically correct”. And I’d like to point out that the central government has been dangling carrots in front of the states, sinking the claws of economic dependence into the states, and rendering them to little more than administrative units of the central government.

I’ve also found it odd that incumbent politicians like to brag about how many bills they introduced and how many they got passed. On the surface, many bills may sound reasonable. But every bill enacted places limits on someone. We, the People, have fallen into a habit of running to government to place limits on others, while we complain about limits placed on us. It may be human nature, but we really need to simplify things and avoid getting government involved. A couple more things to keep in mind is that every bill has unintended consequences, and every bill increases the size and reach of government.

The first piece of legislation I would propose would be to require each house of Congress to review every federal agency every 10 years with the following questions to be answered:

Is it Constitutional?

Is it really a State right or authority?

Is it really needed?

Can it be provided by the private sector?

Should it be merged with another agency

Can it be downsized and still meet the need?

You might say that Congress will never pass such legislation. Initially, true I’m sure, but John Quincy Adams proposed anti-slavery legislation for decades, being ridiculed and hated by his peers. But eventually he was successful. He persevered.

We need to mainstream veterans into medical services available to everyone. If you think socialized medical services are the way to go, go spend some time in a VA hospital talking to the veterans about the care they get. Ask them if the care they receive is just as good as they might receive at the other hospitals down the road. Please don’t think that I’m targeting the people at the local level, because at the local level most of the nurses and staff are great and wonderful people. But unfortunately the common response a veteran receives upon calling in for medical help is that it will be at least a 30 day wait until you can get in. I know because I am a veteran and depend on the VA for my medical treatment. I have a reconstructed eardrum because VA failed to provide services in a timely manner. It is the system itself that is failing our veterans, and they deserve better.

I’ve heard a lot of people talk about the lifetime retirement that US Representatives get even after one two year term. I will propose legislation to end lifetime retirement and benefits for all newly elected US Representatives and Senators retroactive to January 1, 2013. Future legislators will be entitles only to the retirement funds they paid into while in office, just like the citizens they represent.